Clark to the opposition: Get out and get ideas

BC Premier Christy Clark who recently defied all prediction regarding her ability to win elections and lead this province over the next four years this week during her East Coast tour in interview with CBC’s Peter Mansbridge sent several messages to her opposition and people not only in the province. It is interesting that this time she didn’t described political life in provincial capital as “toxic”, cancellation of fall sitting at the Legislature got totally different explanation this time. She might be right but the facts are not working for her at this moment. Despite her claims regarding two sittings in this year Legislature sit less than two months in that period which represents one of the shortest periods of sitting anywhere in Canada.

Premier Clark said that cancellation will open a space for her to go out and talk with constituents and people across the province, country and on the international scene in wish to present her ideas and to gather more ideas from them. Clark advises provincial opposition, NDP, to also go out and get ideas from people. In principal Clark wants to know what people are asking from her and the government. Interesting way how to govern an four million people province badly in need to see resolution of many problems. How she thinks to address issues of child poverty, jobs creation, economic growth or transportation issues without new legislation and regulations I don’t know but maybe she knows some ways other than parliamentary procedures to adopt laws. As talking point this is a perfect but neither Premier nor the government are not in need to spend month after month wondering around the province to learn people opinions in today’s world of fast and over available ways of communication.

“The decision means the government and loyal Opposition will have sat for a whopping 36 days in 2013. This puts B.C. in the company of such jurisdictions as Yukon and the Northwest Territories, whose legislators have sat for 32 days so far this year. Manitoba, on the other hand, has sat for more than 100 days and isn’t scheduled to wrap up debate for a few days yet. Ontario has been in session 55 days and is scheduled to meet for another 44 days before year’s end. Alberta is scheduled to sit 59 days.

In fact, as Mark Jarvis, a doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia recently pointed out, the B.C. government’s move will mean that the legislative assembly will actually have sat for 36 days going back to May 31, 2012, a contemptible 579-day absence from any form of answerability.

The Premier’s rationale is that she and her government are working on some major policy initiatives and would rather wait until next spring to introduce and debate them. But surely there are other matters of some urgency that could be discussed in the meantime.”

People of British Columbia didn’t elect a government and the opposition to travel and spend taxpayers money on consultations while not performing their duties in full. Otherwise we wouldn’t need governmental and parliamentary systems and procedures to run any level of authority we could hire travel agents to wonder around and collect people stories sometimes gathering to pass new “regulation” for substantial period of time to fund some people needs. If Premier is in need to travel and get in touch with other authorities on matters which will significantly affect people of British Columbia that doesn’t mean that her deputy and some 80 other MLA’s and ministers are in need to be out of Assembly. I’m not sure if she knows why we have emails, constituents offices and other ways of communication with people most certainly not to employ family members or close friend and pay them with taxpayers money.

Current states of politics in the province of BC is in very bad shape and state. Fewer and fewer people especially those in working class are choosing to vote with every next election, Premier and politicians are more concerned about media reporting, while those in need are suffering badly due to piled amount of problems.